Q: I've had an irrigation system for my residential lawn for many years. In early April, I received, for the first time, a mailing from Winston-Salem Forsyth County Utilities requiring a Backflow Assembly Test of the irrigation system to prevent contamination of city water from backflow through the system. The charge from a local plumbing company to inspect and certify the backflow assembly was $154. The inspection is administered by a third party, BSI, Inc. and will be required annually. If this is such a threat to our city water supply, why has an inspection not previously been required? Does this certification fee sound reasonable?